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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/22602322">The Wager</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/brunettebrawler56/pseuds/brunettebrawler56'>brunettebrawler56</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Captain Marvel (2019), The Avengers (Marvel Movies), Thor (Movies)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Avengers Family, Competitiveness, F/M, First Kiss</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-02-07</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-02-07</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-04-28 15:26:57</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>2,380</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/22602322</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/brunettebrawler56/pseuds/brunettebrawler56</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Thor and Carol have an arm wrestling match, leading to some sparks.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Carol Danvers/Thor, Thor/Captain Marvel</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>5</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>64</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>The Wager</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>“We won’t know if we don’t at least try. Just give me a chance, Captain,” Thor said sincerely.</p><p>“Are you sure you want to do this? With me?” Carol asked softly.</p><p>The determination in his hard blues was palpable. He placed a massive palm on her shoulder, feeling like a warm weight. “I do. Aren’t you curious?”</p><p>She let just a peak of a smile go at that flattery. And though it was foolish, and maybe it was all the Asgardian liquor (and Miller Lite for nostalgia’s sake) that she’d drank, but she gave just the briefest of nods, “Okay. I’m not big on regrets.”</p><p>She reached her palm across the table and he took it in his own.</p><p>Each of their elbows scooted up to rest their arms at a 45-degree angle on the coffee table. He adjusted the sleeve of his rolled-up Henley. They were in position.</p><p>“Fifty on Carol,” Natasha called.</p><p>“In arm wrestling? It’s Mr. Thursday by a long shot,” Clint said back, taking a swig from his beer bottle.</p><p>Carol didn’t take her eyes off the god of Thunder in front of her. “It’s not embarrassing to lose,” she goaded.</p><p>Thor just gave a lopsided grin like a golden retriever, “This is for sport. There will be no hard feelings.”</p><p>“Well hopefully a little hard,” she teased, giving a blink and you’d miss it wink.</p><p>Thor looked so thrown off that he seemed to miss the other bets that were placed. </p><p>Nat, T’Challa, Hope, Vision, and Scott were all placing money on Carol. Meanwhile, he had Clint, Strange, Wanda, Bruce, Bucky, and Sam in his corner. </p><p>Tony sauntered back in from taking a call on his cell phone out on the balcony. “Wait, Point Break is against Ripley?” Tony asked.</p><p>“Alien!” Carol let out a surprised laugh. “I get that reference!” It was good to be distracted because it was hard to ignore the odd current playing out through she and Thor’s joined hands. There was… something. Like the feeling before an earthquake—that sense that there was an impending force of nature.</p><p>Carol lightened the mood as she adjusted her elbow, “You ready, dude?”</p><p>Thor straightened up. “By all means, Captain. Let us begin.”</p><p>“I’ll count,” Rhodey offered. “One… Two… Three.”</p><p>The back of Carol’s hand instantly smacked the coffee table with a thwak.</p><p>The shocked silence was deafening.</p><p>They both lingered, acknowledging their cupped hands on the wooden coffee table.</p><p>Tony broke the hush with a guffaw and everyone followed with cheers and groans. Scott squeaked, “What the heck was that, Carol?”</p><p> Thor must have realized that she needed an out and asked over the cacophony, “Did you think we started on three or the beat after?”</p><p>She swallowed hard, “The beat after.”</p><p>“Wait! That doesn’t count? I could be rich!” Peter said from squatting on top of the love seat.</p><p>“You didn’t even bet,” Sam said, slapping the kid’s calf. The money and IOU notes written on the peeled off labels from liquor and beer bottles were stacked on the table in different piles.</p><p>Peter’s voice cracked, “Well I don’t have the money, but I was rooting for him. You heard me say Thor’d win. Everyone heard it.”</p><p>Crickets.</p><p>He huffed. “Aw, man. Guys, whoever heard me say I would have bet on Thor, raise your hand.”</p><p>He raised his hand high in the air.</p><p>Not a movement from the rest.</p><p>“No one?” He sulked.</p><p>Thor and Carol glanced at each other. They needed a redo.  They put their arms back up. The group went back to watching with rapt attention.</p><p>Rhodey said, “Okay. This time, I count to three, then go on the beat after. Deal?”</p><p>“I’m ready this time, Captain. Are you?” Thor asked with a smile.</p><p>Her hand began to glow with power, “Bring it on, dude.”</p><p>Rhodey announced, “Three… two… one…”</p><p>Thwack.</p><p>Thor stared down at his hand, cupped under Carol’s so gently. She’d loosened her painful grip the moment his knuckles hit the wood. The group erupted in cheers and objections at how quick it had happened.</p><p>Vision calculated, “My portion of the pot should be $412.59.”</p><p>Sam gave a sly look at Peter, “I’m guessing you’re up for paying since you were just up for winning, too?”</p><p>“Leave the boy alone,” Wanda muttered, irritated.</p><p>Tony teased, “I mean, not even lasting two seconds?” </p><p>Bruce waved to the pile of winnings, “It’s okay. I didn’t need to donate my portion to an orphanage or anything.”</p><p>Carol wasn’t soft. But the wave of catcalls that Thor endured with consolatory embarrassment made her think of mercy. It was against her nature not to take a win, but it needed to be fair. She stated, “Best two out of three.”</p><p>Thor shied, “No need to make me feel better, Captain.”</p><p>She gave a little smile and teased, “Fine then. I won’t. Go ahead. Keep feeling terrible.” The light dust of pink on his cheeks made her nearly preen. She said, “It’s always supposed to be two out of three if you go more than one round. It’s fair.”</p><p>His pride was clearly wounded, but he got back into position. Again, their hands locked together; that strange energy flowing between them.</p><p>Sam asked over all of the noise, “Anyone changing bets?”</p><p>Steve, who had abstained before, tossed a crisp fifty from his leather wallet onto Carol’s pile, while Stark dropped his black Amex on top of Thor’s. </p><p>The crowd around them shushed.</p><p>Rhodey said, “Alright. This is for all the marbles. No do-over’s. No more rule changes. This is it. Ready?”</p><p>Her hands rippled with orange energy. A crackle of static lightning jumped between his thumb and knuckles.</p><p>“ One… two… three.”</p><p>This. This was a fair fight. Both of them were expecting it. They hunched with their teeth gnashed and arms straining. The push behind Thor’s forearm was brutal and Carol gave back as good as she got.</p><p>“Keep your elbow at forty five degrees,” Nat reminded her over her shoulder.</p><p>She began to gain the upper hand; hedging Thor’s massive arm down while he struggled to keep his wrist straight. </p><p>T’Challa asked lightly, “What is he a god of again?”</p><p>Suddenly a crack of electricity struck through Thor’s shoulder. The power surge shot into Carol’s hands, going down her wrists like fire. He inched his arm back up to straight and a little past, putting her on defense.</p><p>Hope suggested out loud, “Curl your wrist in more. You’re giving him too much leverage by keeping straight.”</p><p>Scott pulled her into his side on the couch, “Yea. What she said.”</p><p>Tony poured himself a whiskey from a decanter in the corner, “Zip it, love bugs. My guy’ll have her on the ropes. He’s just got a little performance anxiety in front of pretty ladies.”</p><p>“Aw shucks, you really think I’m pretty, Stark?” Carol deadpanned.</p><p>Thor took his eyes off their hands for the first time and up at Carol. He’d noticed her before; after all, he wasn’t blind in both eyes. Her rare smile from before had been replaced with a determined one since their battle had grown intense. And yet she was beautiful like this—not an ounce of give in her. She was a force of nature. Her hand felt like trying to wrestle the heat of a nova—and looking in her eyes felt the same.</p><p>Carol had gone from thinking about the angle of her elbow to why Thor was looking at her like that. In fact, she lost all interest in staring at <br/> their arms in place of truly looking at him. There was such softness behind all his strong, sharp angles. His bearded jaw was set firmly, but it wasn’t in anger. The way his light blue eyes held hers without frustration was unsettling…. Odd. New. Thrilling. He wasn’t angry or desperate. He looked… content.</p><p>The energy in her fist doubled to full strength and he retaliated back. They’d tuned out the cheering voices and everything fell away but them and whatever was growing between where they touched.</p><p>Thor was giving everything—trying to summon the spirit of the All Father, praying to ancestors for control over the way his arm shook to stay up. He barely registered that the group that was watching had started backing away, evacuating behind the couches.</p><p>Carol’s powers were unteathered, wild, flowing so free that it felt like flying. Whatever she could muster, he could take and take and take. There was no holding back like with everyone else. She was free.</p><p>Their arms that had barely swayed before were suddenly beginning to shake and weave in either direction. Even with his lightning crackling through her veins, she could feel the callouses of his skin; could feel the throb of something between them. Whatever this was—whatever was happening, was uncontrollable. He grinned at her and she grinned back in understanding. There was nothing but them and this moment and this limitlessness.</p><p>Rhodey’s voice sounded distant, but she could faintly hear him tell her to let go. Banner was demanding that Thor listen. Wanda cast a red energy shield to block any blowback. Carol wanted to keep going—go until their hands could merge from the sheer force of it.</p><p>Then suddenly all of the voices came back clearly. She could hear the concern in Steve’s voice and how Stark was telling Peter to go downstairs just in case. She blinked and let her guard down. </p><p>It was enough for Thor to slam the back of her hand onto the table. </p><p>If it had been noisy before, it was a riot now. Sam was scowling as he forked over the pot to Nat to divide evenly. Scott asked Vision, “Hey, do you work like an ATM? Cause there are a lot of IOU’s in there.”</p><p>Carol didn’t hear the rest of the conversation. The lightning in her veins fizzled away and her energetic flames seeped back into her skin. Her arm was exhausted. Steve and Hope both gave her pats on the shoulder and told her it was close. She would have had him had they not distracted her. She shrugged them off, “Just sorry I lost you guys some money.”</p><p>Wanda grabbed Thor by both ears and pressed a quick kiss on his lips. She said in her thick Sokovian accent, “Thank you. I love to prove Vision wrong and I knew you could do it!”</p><p>The flame Carol thought incapable of making for another week from exhaustion suddenly sprung up in her left hand. Thankfully it was under the table where no one could see except T’Challa, who only piqued a curious eyebrow. Control, control, control, she begged herself.</p><p>Tony sauntered over, “That was impressive. Tough break there, Care Bear.”</p><p>She grabbed the glass of whiskey from his hand. He had the audacity to look scandalized, “Hey! Mine!”</p><p>She downed the whole glass in a smooth, single gulp. “Don’t call me Care Bear. It’s Carol or Captain.” Then she handed the glass back and brushed past him, trying to leave the floor. Just a minute of silence to get ahold of herself. That’s all she needed. Just a second to wrap her head around whatever had happened. No one would even notice she was would be gone. She got to the elevator while Peter was still bickering with Sam that he deserved some of the pot.</p><p>The moment the doors entered, she hopped in and pressed the button to her floor. </p><p>“Captain!”</p><p>It was Thor, breaking away from Bucky and T’Challa. She didn’t hold the elevator open, but she also didn’t close it on him. He barely squeaked in his broad shoulders before the doors shut after them.</p><p>Alone. </p><p>In the quiet. </p><p>She still felt the hum from being so close. She was heady with it. </p><p>His heart pounded like a heard of bilgesnipe and his words were hardly the poetry such a warrior deserved to hear after combat. He had to say something though. “You were a worthy opponent. I very much enjoyed that. I would like to do it again sometime. But only if you like me. Not me. It. It being this arm-wrestling game. And only if you found me a worthy opponent.”</p><p>She tightened her fists, trying to tamper down the feeling in them. Don’t look at him. Don’t look. It won’t end well. </p><p>He hated that he’d bungled his words and hated more that she didn’t understand. Carefully, he took one of her fists in his hand, feeling its heat and strength underneath its small, smooth exterior. “Carol, you are… remarkable. I’ve never fought like that before. If you don’t want to fight me, that’s fine. But even a loss is no reason to leave such a celebration—”</p><p>“I—” Her breath hitched, looking down at their hands, “I left because I needed to get control over how I was feeling. But I don’t want to anymore. Do you?” She asked.</p><p>He gave a smile as bright as the sun. “No.”</p><p>She hooked two fingers in the collar of his Henley and pulled him down to her lips. It wasn’t a kiss but a branding—hard and long and daring. She pushed him back into the wall of the sleek metal elevator as if he weighed nothing, never breaking their lips apart. Pressed into him, she slid her hands up into his short hair and slid her tongue in his mouth.</p><p>She kissed like she wrestled—with everything in her and with a passion that grew exponentially. He returned it with fervor, knowing he couldn’t hurt her with his bruising hold. He was free to kiss her however he wanted, knowing she could take it.</p><p>He didn’t mean to shock her with his tongue.</p><p>It was truly an accident.</p><p>She yelped in surprise and leaned back, but he caught her around the waist. He let out a surprised laugh, “I’m sorry, I can’t control it. Not with you at least.”</p><p>Her big blue eyes searched his, “Good.”</p><p> For a moment after, they lingered.</p><p>The elevator stopped and the doors sprung open to Carol’s suite. </p><p>She walked out, leaving Thor behind. She looked over her shoulder, “Well… You coming? I think there’s other wrestling we can try.”</p><p>He couldn’t follow her fast enough.</p>
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